Little Charley Pond Fishing in Hamilton County, New York

• Overview

  Set in Hamilton County, Little Charley Pond is a New York water. The setting is mixed forest. It runs to roughly 27 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Tupper Lake at 17 miles is the nearest place to stop. Further out sit Saranac Lake (35 miles) and Lake Placid (39 miles). It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Little Charley Pond

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Hamilton County include lake trout, brook trout, yellow perch and smallmouth bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Little Charley Pond gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 13°F in January up to 64°F in July. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Little Charley Pond fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is East Charley Pond, 1 mile out. Where Little Charley Pond is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.